Joey Krassenstein had never been in the middle of this kind of chaos before.

Krassenstein, a walk-on punter for USC’s football team, ran to the middle of the Coliseum field to celebrate the last-second upset victory over Stanford.

He had played one year of organized football in his life, so it was highly unlikely he would ever have a chance to play, but there he was, caught up in the moment, like every other USC football player wearing a uniform last month.

“There was an immediate crash from Trojan nation,” Krassenstein said. “People were patting me on the back and slapping me on the helmet and saying congratulations. People were trying to take my helmet off, but it was a good thing I had it buckled.”

Krassenstein rushed to the locker room as fast as he could, not knowing football etiquette in the face of thousands of passionate fans taking over a field.

When he realized he was one of the first in the locker room, he ran back to the field to see if he could help his teammates.

Everyone was fine, and Krassenstien had just learned another valuable lesson: expect the unexpected when it comes to USC football.

Krassenstein — the son of a Jewish American father and Taiwanese mother — was born in Singapore.

From kindergarten through sixth grade, his family lived in New Jersey, where he played one year of youth football. He’s lived in six countries (Singapore, China, the U.S., Mexico, Indonesia and Panama) and his mother operates a restaurant in China, the Nar Cafe, Krassenstein said.

“It’s international, healthy gourmet food,” Krassenstein said. “I worked there and ate there. I was a waiter. I made their Web site, too.”

USC has the most international students of any university in the country. Krassenstein, a redshirt sophomore, is majoring in journalism and East Asian Languages, and he speaks Chinese fluently.

Advertisement

He’ll be on the sideline for his first bowl game, the Las Vegas Bowl, on Saturday. He knows more about rugby, but he’s being afforded plenty of opportunities to learn about football.

While in China, rugby was his sport of choice. Krassenstein — who is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds — said he played for the semi-professional Shanghai Hairy Crabs and intends to do so again once he earns his journalism degree. He even plays for USC’s club rugby team as an inside center.

“Every player who has the ball has the option to kick it,” Krassenstein said of rugby. “I kick the kickoffs and make the extra points. I do a lot of kicking. Football is a little different. The punting techinique is different.”

Former USC coach Lane Kiffin, who wasn’t known for extended conversations with even his star players, had a conversation with Krassenstein and it centered around rugby.

“Last spring he asked me if I was done playing rugby,” Krassenstein said. “I was missing Saturday practices because of rugby. My team needs me. He just wanted to know my level of commitment.”

“I was the only punter in the spring, so it was nice to have someone to work with,” Albarado said. “He’s used to kicking in rugby, so I’ve taken him under my wing. Joey and I are very similar. We have similar values. We both have girlfriends. We’re both academically driven.”

Krassenstein is receiving a crash course in football this season; the ups and downs, hirings and firings, big wins and a loss to crosstown rival UCLA.

“He’s out here with an opportunity to see what college football is all about,” said USC special teams coach John Baxter. “On the football side, he’s got a lot of work to do for that to happen. As a person, you always root for guys to accomplish something.”

Krassenstein has accomplished much in his life, but he’s a beginner when it comes to punting. He goes back home to Shanghai on breaks and during the summer. He worked on his punting skills but football isn’t big there yet, so there was no football field for him to work on punting techniques.

“I was punting at a soccer field near my house,” Krassenstein said. “There’s some space, but there are players there so I just punt over their heads. There’s a big spot there.”

While in high school, he said he and his father used to watch Eagles games together, something not many people do in China, Krassenstein said. His dad became a fan while the family lived in New Jersey, and Krassenstein became a fan of learning more about the game.

“We’d watch on Monday morning before school if it was a big game, and I’d get up extra early,” Krassenstein said.

Krassenstein will return to rugby in the spring and wants to continue to practice with the football team.

“It’s been positive,” Krassenstein said. “I enjoy it. Everybody cares about you. From the strength coach to the team doctors, they devote their time to making you better.”